"Breast-feeding would save lives, money" headline from Yahoo news

[MaryJaneLouise]

This popped up as a headline in my Yahoo news. It looks like another epidemiological analysis of the costs of formula feeding, in terms of the loss of children's lives and societal medical and other costs. It's good to see issues like this getting some mainstream press.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/us_m...g_savings.html

The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women fed their babies breast milk only for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.

Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.

"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section

More at above link.

[blessedwithboys]

saw that. "bf is not just antoher lifestyle choice". loved it.

[dogmom327]

Really great to see this in the mainstream news. There was a line in there though about not including the cost of formula...I wish they would have. Sometimes I think that needs to be added up. I hate for that to be a reason but really money motivates some people.

[NettleTea]

I read this earlier today. I didn't know that some thought of breastfeeding as a "lifestyle choice".

[Breeder]

I just wrote a very VERY middle of the road blog on this yesterday after seeing the sh*tstorm kicked up at the Feminist Breeder on her take.

Thus far I have received 3 emails and 1 public comment about how it IS a personal choice thank you very much. Oh and also one email called me a "boob nazi" and another a "breast bully". Proud moments, you guys, proud moments.

[myk]

i was really happy to read that in the news. i've never quite understood those who say bfing is a lifestyle choice (rather than the default feeding method), and it's nice to see articles for the general public emphasizing that it's not just a choice of two nearly-equal options.

i definitely think formula has its place - my daughter needed formula at first, and i have no regrets, i did what i needed to do. but i've always thought of it as a "when necessary" kind of thing.

(says the mom who bfed for 4 years after we finally got it all working).